The present invention relates to a disassembly apparatus and disassembly method of a rotating electric machine installed in a limited space, such as a wind power generator housed in a nacelle, for example.
A wind power generator is housed in a nacelle that is for example provided on the top of a 60-meter or so pole extending from the ground. A rotating shaft of the wind power generator is connected, via a step-up gear or the like that is similarly housed in the nacelle, to blades that are located outside the nacelle and are rotated by wind power.
A rotating electric machine such as the wind power generator could be disassembled and assembled for regular maintenance or for repairs when the rotating electric machine breaks down. The rotating electric machine has many heavy parts and it is difficult for a worker to move them without using equipment. Therefore, in a power generator disassembly/assembly operation, the power generator is taken down to the ground by a large crane and then an operation of disassembling and assembling the power generator is performed.
The operation of lifting down and up the power generator with the large crane is impossible in some weather conditions. That is, even when some trouble happens, it may not be easy to take the power generator down to the ground. Moreover, in taking the power generator down to the ground, it takes a lot of time and effort to disconnect the cables of the power generator and to do other work. For the above reasons, it is difficult to make a quick recovery with the method of disassembling and assembling the power generator after the power generator is taken down to the ground.
For example, what is disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japan Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 11-335074, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference) is a jig that is used in disassembling and assembling a power generator. The jig includes leg members, which are fixed on both sides of the power generator; a lateral member, which is provided between the leg members; and a rail section, which is attached to the lateral member.
If a rotating electric machine is installed in a limited space such as nacelle, it is difficult to carry the jig into the limited space. In case where the location is high above the ground such as the wind power generator, even if a nacelle is removed, only an extremely large crane can be used for disassembling and assembling.
Because the leg members of the jig disclosed in Patent Document 1 extend high above a casing of the power generator, in order for the jig to be attached to the power generator, a rectangular space surrounding an upper portion of the power generator, when viewed in the direction facing a rotating shaft, is required. Thus, it may be impossible to use the jig disclosed in Patent Document 1 at a place where the power generator is installed in a limited space.